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Foreign Surgical and Medical Mission 

Foreign Surgical and Medical Missions (FSMM) are joint efforts between foreign medical professionals and their local counterparts to provide free medical, surgical, dental, and other health-related services to underserved communities. Regulated by the country’s Department of Health (DOH) - specifically through the Bureau of International Health Cooperation - these partnerships draw from diverse backgrounds to deliver much-needed medical and surgical services to underserved areas.

 

Since 2014, HAND-Philippines has sent doctors, nurses, and other medical and non-medical volunteers from the United States to participate in FSMMs. Community-based, these mobile clinics travel to three to five locations per trip. Healthcare workers offer screening tests, essential treatments for common ailments, and public health education programs. Close partnership with the Municipal Health Office (MHO) ensures follow-up care and referrals for patients post-mission.

 

HAND-Philippines continues to broaden its impact by meeting a broader range of healthcare needs. In 2024, we will embark on our first hospital-based FSMM in partnership with local surgeons. To address a greater range of health issues underserved communities face, a hospital-based approach allows for more complex surgeries, such as routine elective procedures like cholecystectomies, hernia repairs, and thyroidectomies. 

Adopt-a-Rural Health Unit Program

HAND-Philippines provides material, technological, and financial support to Rural Health Units (RHUs), village-level health stations run by the local government. We maximize impact by targeting RHUs in impoverished communities recovering from natural disasters to enhance their capabilities to deliver evidence-based, sustainable community healthcare. 

 

Working closely with RHU staff, local officials, and stakeholders, we identify the specific unmet needs within each community, and support is tailored to address these unique challenges. Collaboration is key.  HAND-Philippines and our local community partners jointly develop plans, processes, and goals to empower the RHUs and contribute to their long-term sustainability. We recognize that addressing the community's unmet needs and fostering self-sustainability are crucial steps toward improving the overall health and well-being of the population in the long run.

Post-Calamity Repair and Rehabilitation Program

HAND-Philippines works closely with governmental and non-governmental agencies to implement a comprehensive strategy to repair and rehabilitate Rural Health Units (RHUs) and public schools severely affected by natural calamities. Our primary goal is to restore these essential infrastructures to greater resiliency from their pre-disaster conditions, ensuring the impacted communities regain and maintain access to vital healthcare and educational services. Restoring access to healthcare and education is crucial for the well-being and development of these communities, allowing them to rebuild and thrive in the aftermath of natural calamities.

Post-Calamity Humanitarian Aid Program

After a catastrophic natural disaster, HAND-Philippines promptly mobilizes our local staff and resources to deliver crucial humanitarian aid and medical services to the affected communities. We collaborate with other local agencies to deploy scarce resources effectively.

Enhanced Community Childcare Program

Similar to the Adopt-a-Rural Health Unit Program, HAND-Philippines aims to improve early childhood education and nutritional services offered by village-level communal childcare facilities called Community Daycare Centers. Understanding that these facilities are severely underfunded and short-staffed, we provide critical funding, training, and other resources to empower these facilities to deliver high-quality early childhood education programs and proper nutrition, both of which we firmly believe provide the foundation for all future learning, behavior, and good health for these children. By augmenting staffing for these facilities, mothers can now participate in economic endeavors to supplement their family's income, knowing that their children are well-cared for in a safe and nurturing environment. 

Community Food Sustainability Program

HAND-Philippines offers financial support and technical guidance to community-based enterprises involved in local food production and marketing, including organic farming, fisheries management, farmer's markets, and direct-to-consumer sales. The objectives of this program are to empower communities economically, ensure food security, promote environmental sustainability, and enhance local food systems.

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